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Child and Adolescent Development Flashcards

7 cards from real ALT practice questions. Tap to flip, then mark Knew It or Still Learning — missed cards come back until you master them.

Read the first 7 Child and Adolescent Development flashcards as text

  1. Which theory proposes that cognitive development is driven by the maturation of innate biological structures, emphasizing stages that are universal across cultures?

    Answer: Cognitive-developmental theory (Piaget)

    Piaget's cognitive-developmental theory holds that children universally pass through four biologically driven stages of cognitive growth.

  2. An adolescent increasingly spends time with peers rather than family and is highly concerned with peer opinions. This is best understood as:

    Answer: A normal developmental shift toward peer orientation during adolescence

    During adolescence, increased peer orientation and reduced reliance on parents is a normal developmental pattern reflecting the push for autonomy and identity formation.

  3. Which learning theorist emphasized that reinforcement schedules — such as variable ratio — have powerful effects on maintaining behavior?

    Answer: B.F. Skinner

    B.F. Skinner's operant conditioning framework identified reinforcement schedules, finding that variable ratio schedules produce the most persistent behaviors.

  4. A 4-year-old insists that her taller cup has more juice than her friend's shorter, wider cup, even after watching the pour. This illustrates:

    Answer: Lack of conservation due to centration

    The child is centrating (focusing only on height), which leads to failure of conservation — a hallmark of the preoperational stage.

  5. Which of the following is a characteristic of Marcia's 'identity moratorium' status?

    Answer: The individual is actively exploring but has not yet committed to an identity

    Identity moratorium involves active exploration of options without a firm commitment — it is considered a healthy transitional state during adolescence.

  6. According to Gesell's maturation theory, the primary driver of development is:

    Answer: Innate biological timing and genetic unfolding

    Arnold Gesell argued that development follows a biologically predetermined sequence driven by genetic maturation, not primarily environmental factors.

  7. A child raised in poverty may show delays in executive function development. An ALT teacher should understand this primarily as:

    Answer: A result of chronic stress and limited cognitive stimulation affecting brain development

    Chronic stress and lack of cognitive stimulation associated with poverty can negatively impact prefrontal cortex development and executive function.